10 August 2007

PGM 811 "CRESCENT MOON" : Week of August 10th...

Modern Turkish music has come to us through a path as complex and ornamental as Turkish calligraphy. Located in the Eastern Mediterranean at the gateway to Central Asia, for centuries Turkey was an economic and cultural crossroads, absorbing influences from Persian, Byzantine, Southern European, and Middle Eastern traditions and cross-pollinating them with its own rich heritage.

For most of the 600 years of the Ottoman empire, Turkey dominated the region. When KEMAL ATATURK consciously modernized Turkey in the early 20th century, western classical and popular music were added to an already complex cultural mix; today Istanbul has one of the most vibrant and varied musical scenes anywhere.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey in the Turkish soundscape called CRESCENT MOON. Featured artist is the Montreal-based Turkish Sufi musician MERCAN DEDE, plus a host of fine players from Turkey and the U.S.